A Good Visit

The kittens went for their annual checkups yesterday. They’re all healthy, which was no surprise. Parm is just a bit too healthy, though – he weighed in at 19.8 lbs. His little sister, Per’la, weighs 14.1 lbs, and Khar’pern is the slimmest of all at 11.7 lbs. Parm also showed signs of gingivitis, but his teeth are shiny clean. The vet laughingly said he hopes Parm develops a bad tooth, as it might get him to cut back on how much he eats. I offered to let the dogs run Parm a bit, but we decided that might cause Parm heart problems. Parm still doesn’t groom himself very well, especially along his back. Most of it is just plain laziness, but the vet said that Parm responded to the physical exam in a way that indicates he may have a touch of arthritis – most likely brought on by being fat and lazy.

While I was there, the vet and I talked about Reyna a bit, too. He’s going to look into options for stronger pain killers, since she limps or drags her leg pretty much every day. We also discussed options for the dogs when I’m in Hawaii. I have a neighbor who’s agreed to watch the dogs, and I've talked to a couple of pet sitters, but I’m concerned about Reyna’s stress level with being left home alone with someone she doesn’t know really well for an entire week. Of course, I’m also concerned about the stress of boarding for a week. The vet’s opinion, and I’m inclined to agree with him, is that boarding is the better choice, because she knows those people, she likes it there, she and Duncan can do day camp each day - which will both distract her and wear her out - and I can call 24 hours a day to check on them. The cost is a problem, but I’ve gotten the last of my student loan, so I have some extra cash now. I’ll just have my neighbor pop in a few times to make sure the cats still have plenty of water. And, of course, the cats will actually be happier having the house entirely to themselves with no dogs or strangers to interfere with their fun.